The Portal of Opposites
by Amateur Author
Summary: [[Zutara]] Katara finds a strange portal and gets stranded on a tropical island with who do you know? Prince Zuko. Will they try to kill eachother or will love win out in the end?
1. The Mirror

**I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it sure rocks!**

* * *

The Gaang is flying towards the Earth Kingdom to find an Earthbending master to teach Aang.

"I think I'm going to faint from hunger!" complained Sokka, gazing with concern at his rumbling stomach.

Katara rolled her eyes. "If you fainted everytime you got hungry, you would be dead from so many bumps on the head," she said.

"Oh ha ha very funny. But seriously, I need food. Can we stop at a town soon, Aang?" asked Sokka.

Aang turned around and said, "Maybe. What do you think Katara?"

"Yeah, I guess. We could all use a chance to stretch our legs, anyway," Katara replied.

* * *

When they arrived at the first town they, or Sokka, saw, the streets were strangely deserted, except for a few stragglers.

"I wonder where everyone is?" asked Aang.

They arrived at a food shop. The kids wandered in, along with Sokka's loudly rumbling stomach. A creepy looking shopkeeper greeted them at the door.

"Hello!" he said. "Now what is it you'd be wanting today? Fruit? Or lovely vegetables? I have some _deeeeeeelicious_ pumpkins here, would you come and see? Or would you like some bread? I have all kinds of ..."

Normally, Katara would have been listening intently to the shopkeeper. But her attention had wavered over to a slightly ajar door, behind the counter. There was a sinister green light coming from it. So as the creepy shopkeeper show her friends around she excused herself and, making sure no one was watching, she slipped inside the door.

There was a huge mirror, a bit taller than Katara and half as wide, leaning against the wall. And the green light seemed to be coming from _inside_ the mirror! As she moved infront of the mirror, she gasped. Her reflection was there, but distorted. It made her look as if she was just a swirling torrent of water! The outline of her body was there, but that was all you see of her that confirmed she was a human. As she moved closer, another form joined her, but taller and manlier. Instead of water though, the other form was fire! Moving closer still, Katara gasped again. The forms seemed to be, embracing? It was hard to tell. But whatever they were doing, it was in a loving and affectionate way.

Katara had gotten so close now, she noticed some tiny writing on the side of the mirror. It was so small, she had to take a few more steps to read it properly. It said:

_Enter if you dare_

_And you shall meet your opposite_

_But stranger beware_

_Your opposite is unlikely_

_To be one you like_

_But fear not_

_For love shall prevail_

Katara frowned. '_Love shall prevail' _? What does that mean? Dismissing it as a hoax, the young waterbender turned to leave. But she tripped over her feet and fell backwards into the mirror. She thought that she would just break the strange mirror on impact, but instead she fell right into it, and then ...

... everything went black.

* * *

In his room, on his ship, Prince Zuko doubled up in pain. He felt a pang of longing, but not knowing what it was he was longing for. He groaned, then ...

... everything went black.


	2. Fine!

Katara woke with an ear-spliting headache. She groaned slightly, then sat up alarmingly quick as it all came back to her. She then became aware that she was not alone. Apart from the sound of the waves crashing against the beach, there was..._ Wait a minute, waves? On a beach? _she thought with alarm._ How did I get to a beach? _She then returned her attention to the person next to her.

He was obviously a guy, but with fire nation clothes! Katara moved away quickly.

"This could be a trap! I have to get out of here!" she told herself. But her voice had woken up the enemy.

"Huh? Wh-who's there?" he slurred. As he rolled over, Katara saw his face and yelled. It was Zuko! Then it dawned on her. _He must be my opposite! Well that would be obvious, he's a guy, I'm a girl, he's a firebender, I'm a waterbender, etc._

As soon as Zuko realised Katara was standing there, he jumped up and said, "Why are you here? Where am I? WHERE'S THE AVATAR!!"

"Shut-up!" Katara snarled. ''I don't have the answers to any of those questions, ok? All I know is that I fell into this mirror and then I woke up here. We're probably stranded."

The fire prince looked stunned by her ferocity for a moment, but then recollected himself. "Yeah right. You probably brought me here or, what am I saying? You couldn't have captured me! I'm the one who's supposed to do the capturing! This is either a trap or you're telling the truth. And right now I'm inclined to believe the former."

During his whole little speech, Katara had been look at him as if the answer was staring him right in the face and he didn't know. And technically, it was.

"Fine, believe what you want," said Katara. "Go and search the whole island for all I care. At least that will mean I don't have to be here with _you._" The emphasis she put on that last word made it sound like she was saying an extremely dirty word. This was what angered Prince Zuko more than anything else.

"Fine!" he spat. "I wouldn't want to spend time with you anyway. I mean, who would?"

"Fine!" Katara spat back.

"Fine!" grumbled Zuko as he stalked away.

As soon as he had gone, Katara began to feel lonely. So, to occupy herself, she decided to try and catch some dinner before it got dark, as she was starving. It didn't take her long, as she had the water at her command. Although she hated to do it, she caught a fish for Zuko as well. _Spoiled brat, _she thought. _He's got me catching his dinner for him and he's not even here! _So she threw one of the fish back and kept the other one for herself. She then started to make a shelter. She put up some long sticks and tied them together with vines, then put some large palm leaves over the top.

Sastisfied with her work, she began to clear a space for a fire. She collected some dry sticks and leaves for the fire as well. Then she started to try and make some fire.

* * *

When Zuko arrived back at the place where he had woken up, he saw Katara sitting by a pile of sticks and leaves, trying to make a fire. He smirked. 

"A little firebending would make that a whole lot quicker, wouldn't it _Katara?_" he taunted.

"Didn't find the Avatar hiding anywhere, I see," replied Katara coolly, not rising to the bait.

_Stupid water peasant! I should kill her right here and now! _thought Zuko angrily. _But I won't, because if the Avatar cares about her, he will come running to rescue her. And when he does, I'll be here waiting for him._

He noticed a crudely made shelter to the left of the fire. It was big enough for two. But he was not going to sleep with her, oh no. She could sleep outside and freeze! As he pondered this issue, he saw Katara shiver, she was still having no success in making a fire. So he ever so casually sat down, and in the moment that she looked up at him, he put his finger near the fire and lit it, but in a way so that Katara would think that she did it.

"Ha!" she cried triumphantly. She then went on to cook the fish that she had caught. The _only _fish that she had caught.

"Where's my fish?" demanded Zuko. "You don't expect me to starve, do you?"

"Well, I figured that you could catch on yourself, considering you're such a big strong man," said Katara smugly. "You didn't help me with the fire, so I don't help you with your dinner."

"WHAT!? I can't catch a fish now! It's too dark! You are so infuriating, little water wrench!" yelled the fire prince.

"Excuse me?" Katara yelled back, really fired up now. "Me? Infuriating? How would you like it if someone was chasing you all around the world trying to kill your best friend? You are a really horrible person you know! What is your problem anyway? You are so, URGH! You never stop do you? I must capture the Avatar, blah blah blah!"

_Wow, she's really getting into this! _thought Zuko. _She must have had all this bottled up for a loooooong time. _But Katara was still ranting.

"Do you know what the Fire Nation has done to my life? You have taken almost all the good things! And most of all," she sniffed, "the Fire Nation has taken away my mother." And with this she turned away, with tears streaming down her face.

Zuko could feel himself starting to soften. "Well, there's something we have in common," he mumbled. Katara turned around slowly, and looked at him with bright blue eyes.

"Really?" she whispered.

It Zuko's turn to turn away this time. "I don't want to talk about it."

Katara glanced down at her half eaten fish. "Um, Zuko?" she asked tentatively.

"What?" he growled.

"Well, er, you can have the rest of my fish if you want. I'm going to bed." And with that, Katara got up and went inside the shelter.

When she was gone, Zuko picked up the fish and ate it, furious with himself for softening. _But she seems so friendly and easy to talk to, _he thought.

_Not to mention stunningly beautiful, and SINGLE_, said nasty little voice in his head.

_How do you know she's single? And anyway, she hates me, _replied Zuko.

_But she gave you her fish ..._

_Shut-up!_

_Oo, now you're getting defensive, that means you liiiike her!_

_Now you're just being ridiculous! Go away!_

_Fine. But you DO like her._

Zuko then decided to follow Katara's example, and go to bed. He fell asleep watching Katara's slender form move up and down, with a strange expression on his face.


End file.
